About our Commencement Speaker

Tom Foley, president of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Pennsylvania (AICUP), has held numerous leadership positions over three decades in four fields, including education, workforce development, volunteer service and public policy.

Foley has testified more than 50 times before governmental and legislative bodies in Harrisburg, Belfast, Dublin and Washington, D.C., and chaired ten statewide boards and commissions in Pennsylvania.

He has written on a wide range of public policy topics, including on issues of justice, foreign policy, preschool education, sports, workforce development and Irish history. The recipient of over 100 awards for his endeavors, Foley was named a Top 100 Irish American in both education and law, becoming one of only two individuals to receive both honors. Foley is also the recipient of the Centennial Medal for Service, the Liberty Bell Award and numerous humanitarian awards, and is an honorary member of the Philadelphia Fire Department.

Foley has served in both the executive and legislative branches of the federal government, working for Congressman James Shannon and then-Senator Joe Biden, whom he served as speechwriter and legislative aide. He also did intensive work in D.C. on issues involving peace and justice in Northern Ireland and Central America.

Foley and his wife, Michele, a lifelong educator, are parents of three sons, an historian, an architect and a family physician, and have four grandchildren. Foley grew up in a family of 12 siblings, and is the grandson of Irish immigrants.